by Raven Scott
“I got close to James tonight. I think we should continue the momentum. I’m going to take her away for the weekend,” suggested Evan, the idea taking shape as he spoke. “The Clements are having a charity event on Saturday night in the Vineyard.”
“As in your ex-fiancée’s parents, the Clements? Is that a good idea?” quizzed Lucas.
“You know Mikayla and I parted on good terms. It won’t be a problem,” Evan dismissed. “At the very least, it will cement my cover. Mikayla and her parents only know me as an executive for DaCosta Solutions, and the new CEO.”
“Do you think James will go?” asked Lucas with skepticism. “There’s a lot going on in her life right now. From how you and the team have described her, she hardly sounds like the type to take off in the middle of it all.”
“But it might be exactly what she needs. Between the Fortis investigation and the police looking into Flannigan’s murder, a weekend out of town could be enticing. It might even get her to relax her guard and reach out to her contacts.”
“And you’d be close enough to witness every move she makes,” continued Lucas.
“Exactly,” Evan confirmed, but with more certainty than he felt.
While he had no doubt he could do the job impartially, the sharp attraction he felt for Nia James made him uneasy. It was not something he’d dealt with before in the many CIA operations in his career. Would more contact and intimacy make it better or worse?
“We don’t have the luxury of time, so it’s our best option,” agreed Lucas. “I’ll give Worthington what we have so far tomorrow, which may satisfy him. We have lots of circumstantial stuff, but we need a solid lead within a few days or we’ll have missed a critical window.”
“Agreed. I’ll give you an update on our plan in the morning,” Evan stated.
The two men hung up as Evan reached the hotel parking garage. Upstairs, he went to his suite rather than join the team in the other room. His body was still humming with pent up sexual tension that he hoped could be cured by a cold shower. Fifteen minutes later, under the spray of chilling water, he was still hard and aching. It didn’t help that the sight of Nia James coming in his arms was vividly burned in his brain, interfering with all other rational thought. Evan cursed out loud, and finally shut off the shower tap. He needed to get his head out of his ass, and fast, he thought while toweling off and dressing in worn jeans and a T-shirt.
It was close to eleven o’clock before he went through to the control room, feeling slightly more in charge of his mind and body. The team needed to debrief for the day and finalize the short-term game plan.
After a restless night, Nia started the day feeling pretty optimistic about life. It could have been the relaxing night out, or the aftermath of a heart-stopping orgasm. Either way, she chose not to analyze it too much. Considering everything going on at work, and the precarious situation she was in, the diversion felt too good not to just ride with it.
As usual during most days of the week, she was up by six o’clock in the morning, at the gym before seven, then showered and dressed after kickboxing class by eight-fifteen. It was a short subway ride into downtown, and she was at the gallery about twenty minutes later.
By midmorning, Nia was knee-deep in work with only the occasional thought of when or if she would next hear from Evan DaCosta. Her cell phone rang, and she immediately thought it might be him.
“Hey, little girl.”
Nia felt a small pang of disappointment when she immediately recognized the voice of her stepbrother, Nigel. Then she remembered why he was calling. It was because of her e-mail.
“Hey, Nigel. Everything okay?” she asked. “How is life in the suburbs?”
“It’s all right. I just finished my shift at work,” he explained. “What’s going on, Nee?”
Nia looked around her office. The door was already closed but she swung around in her chair so her back faced the entrance, and lowered her voice.
“I need your help, Nigel,” she whispered.
“What’s wrong?”
“I know it’s been a long time since you were inside, and we both cut ourselves off from some of the people we grew up with. But, do you know anyone who’s still in the game?”
“What exactly are we talking about here, Nee?”
She looked around again.
“I can’t go into too much detail. But there was a robbery in our warehouse. It was professional, Nigel. I mean, clean. They got away with millions in jewels.”
“Shit!” he muttered.
“I know. But it gets worse. The security guard on duty that night was shot dead in Dorchester yesterday. And I was the only one with the combo to the safe, other than my boss.”
“Damn it, Nee. Are they looking at you for it?” he asked. They both knew the way these things worked.
“Yeah, as much as they can without real proof. But only because my boss is more interested in getting the stuff back than calling the cops. But if they don’t find who’s really responsible soon, it’s all going to point in my direction,” she explained. “I can’t just wait around for that to happen, Nigel. I didn’t go through everything in my life and come so far to be falsely accused, again. Not going to happen!”
The words hung between them, heavy and choking with truth.
“Okay. Let me see what I can find out. But, Nee, I don’t want you to call anyone else about this, okay? This is not the time to be reacquainting with anyone from the old hood.”
“I know. I won’t. I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” she muttered. “I just wish I didn’t have to involve you, but I don’t know what else to do.”
“I’d be pissed if you hadn’t, little girl.”
Nia smiled at the protective affection in his voice.
“How’s Angie?”
Angela was his girlfriend, a schoolteacher working in their town.
“She’s good. She asked about you the other day,” Nigel revealed.
“Sure she did. Making sure you wouldn’t see me anytime soon, I bet.”
He chuckled, unable to deny there was some truth to the statement.
“It’s not that bad anymore, Nee. She’ll come round eventually.”
Nia barked out a sarcastic laugh.
“When’s that exactly? It’s been over three years since she convinced you to move to another area code, and she still thinks we’re secretly in love. It’s ridiculous. We barely talk anymore.”
“I know. Maybe if you gained fifty pounds and lost your hair, she’d feel better about our relationship,” he quipped. It was an old topic of debate between them.
“Yeah, well, she’s going to be waiting forever.”
She could tell he was smiling. At times like this, she really missed his friendship.
“Look, give me a couple of days to do some digging. I’ll get back to you on Monday or Tuesday.”
“Okay, but don’t send anything to my work e-mail. Just call me on my cell phone. I can’t be too careful around here.”
“You got it, little girl.”
“Thanks, Nigel.”
“Anytime.”
Nia hung up, then spent a few minutes indulging in memories. Though she had always thought of Nigel as her stepbrother, he really wasn’t. Like many other times through her childhood, her mom had hooked up with his dad for a few years when Nia was around eleven. Nigel grew up with his mom in Boston, but he had spent several summers with them in Detroit. She remembered the first time he’d shown up at their doorstep on a Friday evening, with a duffel bag over his shoulder after a long string of train rides. Their parents were out at a party for the night, so only Nia was there to greet him. At sixteen, Nigel St. Clair had seemed so big and mature to her. Like the older brother she had always wanted. The image was magnified by how pissed he was that Nia had been left alone for the night, in a pretty rough, crime-ridden neighborhood.
Nigel had spent four summers with them, and the bond between him and Nia became stronger each time. Then, by the end of that last visit,
their parents were broken up, and Nia’s life was about to be altered forever. The only person who had cared at that time was Nigel, and it had cost him three years upstate.
Her musings were interrupted by Adam as he opened her office door to poke his head in.
“Do you have a sec, boss?” he asked.
“Sure, what’s up?”
Nia took the opportunity to stretch her legs. She stood up from her office chair and walked across the room.
“I’m working with Nancy on the engagement activities through June, and I want to add that new DaCosta contract. Do you have any more details?” he asked.
“Nothing confirmed yet. Mr. DaCosta didn’t mention a specific timetable. But let’s go through what’s booked already and I can propose some times to him.”
“Okay,” Adam agreed as they walked through the office toward his cubicle. “His stuff is in Virginia, right? So we’ll need a local appraiser? Or will one of us be doing it?”
“We’ll see. I think you and I can probably do the cataloging. Then we can decide on the appraiser once we know what we’re dealing with. Mr. DaCosta said his dad dabbled in a lot of different things.”
Adam did a poor job of hiding his smirk. Nia only had to raise a questioning brow. He immediately cleared his throat and straightened his expression. But he didn’t divulge what exactly he had found so funny.
“What?” she finally demanded.
“Nothing,” he quickly replied, trying hard to look innocent. “It’s just that Emma mentioned that you had gone out on a date with Mr. DaCosta yesterday.”
“And?” Nia questioned, not bothering to deny it. With the speed that news traveled in the office, even the temporary warehouse staff were probably already talking about it.
“Uhmm, nothing.” There was a pause. “It’s just that it’s so unusual for you to accept a date with a client, that’s all. From anyone, actually. I don’t think you’ve ever even mentioned a boyfriend.”
Nia let Adam ramble. He was only asking what others would, though probably not to her directly. That would defeat the purpose of juicy gossip.
“Anyway, according to Emma, he’s pretty good-looking. Evan DaCosta, I mean. In which case, good for you!”
Her patient silence and blank facial expression finally got through to him. Adam let out a deep sigh of frustration and turned back to his computer.
“What does your schedule look like for the next few weeks?” she continued, as though the topic of her dating life had never been introduced.
They spent the next thirty minutes looking at their current client commitments in order to determine when the team could complete the cataloging and appraisals for Evan. It was pretty clear that the only viable window for her to travel to Virginia would be in the next two weeks. Otherwise, it would have to wait until later in the summer. Or someone else on the team would need to manage it.
Nia went back to her office knowing that she would have to call Evan today and discuss the options. After last night, it felt strange for their first conversation to be business-related. It was even more awkward that she had to be the one to call. Would it look like she was chasing him, eager for a repeat performance, using work as an excuse?
This was why she never dated anyone related to work. Too many added complications.
By late afternoon, she couldn’t procrastinate any longer. Nia picked up her desk phone and started dialing, but paused as her cell phone also rang. Hoping it was Evan, she quickly answered. Instead, it was her best friend, Lianne Bloom.
“Are we still on for tonight?” Lianne asked after a quick hello.
Nia bit the inside of her cheek, trying to think of a good excuse. Lianne’s fiancé, Eddie, had his brother in town for a couple of weeks. Lianne had made plans for Nia to join them for a night out. It wasn’t a double date or anything since Eddie’s brother, Kevin, had a girlfriend back in Seattle. But Nia still hesitated. She wasn’t really in the mood to hang out as part of a group.
“Please don’t cancel, Nia. I found this place downtown that has a live band playing tonight. You can’t leave me with the boys by myself!” pleaded Lianne. “If you’re not there, they’ll just insist on going to a bar and I’ll be stuck watching baseball all night or something.”
That did sound like hell, so Nia caved.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go,” she conceded.
“Yes! I’m thinking seven o’clock for dinner?” suggested Lianne.
“Sure. I’m going to go home and change, but that should be fine.”
“Do you want us to pick you up?”
“No, that’s okay,” Nia replied. “I’ll just grab a cab.”
“Okay, I’ll send you a text with the address. See you later!”
Nia barely had time to say good-bye before her phone was beeping with another call.
“Hello?” she quickly answered.
“Hi, Nia, it’s Evan.”
She sat back in her chair, trying to regain her composure.
“Hi, Evan,” she managed to reply smoothly. “How are you?”
Geez, that sounded so formal. She could almost see his teasing grin, mocking her.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
It was her turn to grin.
“I’m good, thank you,” she returned.
“Did you sleep well?” His tone lowered a bit, making his words sound more suggestive than they should have. Heat warmed her cheeks.
“I did, actually.”
“Good,” he stated. “I didn’t sleep at all, in case you’re wondering.”
Nia smiled harder, enjoying his flirting more than she should.
“Really? That’s unfortunate. What do you think caused that?”
“I was feeling a bit tense for some reason,” Evan surmised, his voice smooth as silk.
“Hmmm. Tension is very bad for you, Evan. You should do something about that.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. What are you doing this evening?”
Nia couldn’t stop grinning.
“I have plans, unfortunately,” she told him.
“Any chance you can change them?” he probed. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, really tempted to accept his offer.
“Sorry, I can’t. I just confirmed them with a friend.”
He cleared his throat, and Nia waited for him to respond.
“There is something to be said for a good workout at the gym, I guess,” he stated.
Nia paused for a moment, hoping he would suggest another opportunity to get together. The silence became awkward.
“I’m glad you called anyway,” she added.
“And why is that?” Evan drawled.
“We need to start work on your collection,” she explained in her best professional voice, as devoid of flirtation as possible. “I need to sit down with you to look at the options for when we can do a complete inventory, followed by the appraisals. Once those two processes are complete, then I can advise on the best strategy to auction off the collection.”
“Okay, let’s do that tomorrow,” he stipulated.
“Tomorrow? It’s Saturday,” Nia reminded him.
“Exactly. So plenty of time to discuss it. I have a charity event to attend at the Vineyard. You can come with me. We’ll drive, take our time,” he added.
“What? Martha’s Vineyard?” she stammered. “Isn’t that a little far?”
“Only just a couple hours’ drive. It’s Memorial Day weekend. We’ll stay the night, drive back Sunday. Or even on Monday if you’d like.”
“Evan, I . . .”
“No expectations, Nia, other than your company. My family has a house there, plenty of room.”
“You have a house there,” she repeated, feeling both surprised and overwhelmed by the offer.
“Just a little summer cottage,” he humbly clarified. “Come with me, Mia. I was going to fly in just for the party, but I would much prefer to make a weekend of it with you. And there will be plenty
of time to discuss my contract.”
Nia squeezed her eyes tight, trying to think of a response. It would be so easy to say yes, to rush off for the weekend with the hot guy she’d just met. And they would very likely end up in bed together. The physical attraction they shared was undeniable. But self-preservation and life experience were both screaming in the background that it was too good to be true. He was too good to be real.
“I don’t think I can go, Evan. I have a commitment tomorrow that I can’t break,” she finally told him.
He was not dissuaded.
“What time?”
“Nine-thirty,” she replied, weakly.
“In the morning? For how long?”
“About two hours,” estimated Nia. It was technically only an hour, but she felt the need to make it sound more time-consuming.
“Perfect. I’ll pick you up at one o’clock, then we’ll have a late lunch in Cape Cod. Unless you have other plans for the weekend. Or don’t you want to go?” Evan suggested when she didn’t respond right away.
She couldn’t lie, even though it would have been better for her well-being to do so.
“No, no other plans. You just caught me off guard, that’s all,” she explained. “It sounds like a great trip.”
“So, you’ll join me?”
With a deep breath and eyes scrunched, Nia went with her desire.
“Yes, I’ll go. But, only for one night.”
Chapter 8
Evan had always approached surveillance with analytical detachment. Early in his career with the agency, it was effective training on reading people and surroundings to predict behavior and all possible outcomes. Later, in the field and as part of the CIA Protective Services, his instincts became razor-sharp. There were countless files where the smallest observations effectively foiled plots, apprehended suspects, and saved lives. Even his final mission in the Protective Services division was completed successfully. Despite taking a bullet in the leg from the assailant, Evan had still managed to save the ambassador to the United States from an assassination attempt in Azerbaijan near the Iranian border. His injury was unfortunate, but was also a calculated and necessary risk in the situation.
